photo by Al Linsangan
When you think of touring Palawan, images of pristine waters and mesmerising wildlife come to mind – not visions of a killer beer scene. But the ladies at Palaweño Brewery are changing this as they usher in the beginning of the craft beer industry in the Philippines' last frontier.
Founders Ayah Javier and Malu Lauengco started concocting with a home brewers kit that Javier brought back from San Diego in 2012. The two business partners then experimented and brewed in a home kitchen for years perfecting their recipes and using their friends as guinea pigs during "Ayahay Nights" before going official in 2017.
We caught up with these ladies who are making history in an e-mail interview and now completely understand what makes the Palaweño Brewery pop.
photo by Al Linsangan
Uncharted Earth: Do you remember what craft beer you tried in San Diego that inspired you to buy your own kit and experiment? What was it?
Ayah: The 2 craft beers that really left a lasting impression on me were a Belgian Wheat Beer and an IPA. Growing up in the Philippines leaves us not much choice when it comes to beer. The diverse taste difference of these 2 styles opened up my senses to a plethora of ideas which triggered me to buy my first home brew kit.
UE: How does it feel to be the first "female-ran" craft beer brewery in Palawan?
Ayah: We are honored and proud to make a mark in Philippine history as the first "female-ran" craft brewery in the Philippines. Did you know that the first craft beer brewers were actually female? They were called "alewives". In this respect, we are as traditional as can be.
UE: What is special about Palaweño versus other local breweries in Manila?
Malu: We are abundantly blessed with so much diverse resources here in Palawan. We have three amazing wild honey, sourced from the tribes of both the South and North of Palawan. We get to have great seasonal brews like Mango IPA during the Summer when Mango is abundant here. Palawan mangoes rival that of other places in the Philippines. We go as far as using the tangguli (a local palm candy from the remote island of Cuyo) on our special brew Paragua, a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. There is more that Palawan has to offer and we're excited to try them all!
UE: What are your best-sellers and how many seasonal brews do you introduce in a year?
Malu: To be honest with you, not one style outshines the other. We realized that this is so because each and every person's palate is unique and this is the very reason why we make sure that our beer styles are diverse so that we may cater to each and every palate. We come out with "special" or "seasonal" brews every month. We have a Mango IPA and Coconut Cream Ale every summer when harvest of mangoes and coconuts are plentiful. We have seasonals like our Tandikan Double IPA to celebrate the Tandikan Festival of Palawan every September. Our Christmas and New Year ales are the Nognog Oatmeal Stout and the Tipping Point Imperial IPA. Since we have 5 core/regular beers, our seasonal makes for the 6th beer for a 6-pack.
UE: What are some of your hopes and dreams for Palaweño Brewery in the next five years?
Ayah: We envision Palaweño Brewery to be the pride of Palawan, along the ranks of the Underground River. There is definitely so much room for growth and even expansion! Palaweño Brewery shall continuously create world-class craft beers that all Filipinos would be proud of and all of the world to try.
UE: What is some advice that you would give to young girls who have dreams of starting their own businesses one day?
Ayah: My advice to them is to think outside the box and never give up that dream, no matter what. I realize that when your drive is bigger than your dream, that's when it makes a difference
Palaweño Brewery is on 82 Manalo Street in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Be sure to drop by the tap room from 1p.m.-9p.m. for a cold one Mondays-Saturdays when you go on one of these Palawan adventure tours: Palawan: Adventure in Paradise and Palawan's Best Kept Secrets.